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Betting on Sports presents ‘biggest and most comprehensive agenda’

‘Our biggest and most comprehensive agenda yet’ is how SBC Managing Director Andrew McCarron describes the fourth edition of the Betting on Sports conference and exhibition.

There will be eight bumper tracks held across the two days of SBC’s flagship conference which takes place at Olympia London from 17-20 September, including the second running of the PaymentExpert Forum.

Betting on Sports is the biggest dedicated sports betting trade event in the world and is expected to attract 3,500 delegates from around the globe, a 30 per cent increase from 2018, having signed up some of the biggest names in the industry.

McCarron commented: “The main problem that people who attend Betting on Sports will have is choosing which agenda track to attend. It is little wonder that operators are buying tickets in bulk to make sure they can get the most out of our biggest and most comprehensive agenda yet.

“Given the huge success of Betting on Sports America in April and massive potential of the US market, we’re pleased to be able to once again dedicate a whole track to what could be the biggest betting jurisdiction in the world in a few years.”

Alongside the eight #boscon tracks, there are four held as part of the second CasinoBeats Summit - the online gaming conference running in parallel to the main event on both days - and a standalone track for the Digital Marketing Forum, also making its second outing.

Day 1 tracks at Betting on Sports

Sport in Focus will include sessions on fast-growing MMA, esports as ‘the major sport you are not carrying’, expansion plans for the biggest European football championships and the impact so far of data restrictions on lower level tennis tournaments.

Following on from the huge success of Betting on Sports America in April of this year, the USA in Focus track will look at how sports betting in the country has been revolutionised over the first year since PASPA, while discussing individual state laws, the official data ‘arms race’ and whether the affiliate ‘gold rush’ is all it’s cracked up to be.

The PaymentExpert Forum will assess the early impacts of the UK Gambling Commission’s age verification laws and latest developments to frictionless onboarding and payment stacks, as well as why cryptocurrencies - formerly billed as a disruptive force - are now met with distrust.

Meanwhile, European Markets will check in on Spanish gambling laws, a new two-tiered betting tax plan in Ireland and the regulatory hurdles to long-term success in German-speaking markets.

Day 2 tracks at Betting on Sports

2020 Vision - The Future in Focus will discuss how horse racing can address the shortfall in retail funds, adjusting to new advertising restrictions - including the ‘whistle to whistle’ ban in the UK - and whether casino firms are using sportsbooks as loss leaders for customer acquisition.

LATAM will be the first of the Emerging Markets to fall under the spotlight, as Brazil follows Colombia’s lead in regulating sports betting. There will also be sessions exploring the challenges of operating in Africa and the ‘softened stance’ towards legislated gambling in Asia.

Technology in Focus will start with a CTO panel asking if infrastructure is flexible enough to withstand implementation in different jurisdictions with multiple regulatory challenges, before discussing changes to the UX journey and three presentations on different applications of AI.

The impact of the latest restrictions on the UK market will kick off Regulation in Focus, which also covers the thin line between legal and affordable when it comes to such restrictions, the future for advertising and the response to gambling regulators going beyond their remit.

Day 1 tracks at the CasinoBeats Summit

The Future of Gaming will ask what the live sector is doing to innovate, before assessing the future of slots, how studios use data to inform product design and whether blockchain has a future in online casino.

Market Forces will unpick how the new Swedish marketplace is shaping up in 2019, whether a lack of political will is holding up the spread of legal real-money online gaming in the US, the timeline for integrated resorts in Japan and the implications of Brexit.

Day 2 tracks at the CasinoBeats Summit

Responsibility & Sustainability asks whether politicisation of the debate is helpful or harmful to progress in the area, whether online casino should follow the FOBT lead to reduce stakes, and how operators can improve their understanding of player finances.

Finding the next generation of online casino players will be central to the Customer Journey & Marketing track, which will also consider the sector’s growing relationship with social media, how to get to know Generation Y and why a player focus is key to the recovery of online poker.

Digital Marketing Forum

The Digital Marketing Forum, produced in association with AffiliateINSIDER, will explore the latest digital and performance marketing trends across the iGaming industry. Key topics include new lands of opportunity for affiliates, bonuses and social responsibility in gaming, why you can’t ignore video marketing, and understanding the digital culture of the millennial.